Shadow Sniper
by JetSpark10
Summary: Jade isn't just an average Australian SASR Sniper, as she's soon to find out. Getting into the action is an inevitability. Mostly set in-between the Marvel movies beginning with Iron Man 1, this OC story will also briefly cover the events of the movies as well from Jade's and her friends POV.
1. Chapter 1

**SHADOW SNIPER**

**AN AVENGER'S FAN FICTION BY JETSPARK10**

**I DON'T OWN ANY OF MARVEL'S CHARACTERS, I ONLY OWN THE ONES I HAVE CREATED**

**CHAPTER 1 - TITANIUM-ALLOY MAN**

It was just another normal day doing my not-quite-so-normal-job in the middle of nowhere (aka Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan). Well in my 'workplace' there are three basic types of normal; mind-numbingly-boring-normal (MNB's), average normal (AN's) and out-of-the-ordinary-normal (OOTO's). Of course there are days in between these types; today for instance was an above-average normal day. You don't even want to know how many types of non-normal days there are. We've only had two OOTO's so far on this job, both of which involved being shot at; which is normal for some SASR guys, but for a SAS Sniper like myself not so much. You've got to know I'm there for you to shoot at me, and I'm very good at not getting spotted; the guys say it's almost like I can will myself into invisibility... Anyway I digress.

So anyway... my SEAL buddy Nick decided to get some brownie points by inviting me to a weapons demonstration the American Air Force was holding of the Stark Industries 'Jericho' Missile; run by the CEO of Stark Industries himself. Of course it wouldn't be fitting unless said CEO Tony Stark was late. So there we were; waiting in the middle of the day, in the full wrath of the Middle-Eastern sun for several hours. No problems for an Australian like myself, simply because that's what I'm used to (not bragging too much am I?). I will admit though that not all of Afghanistan is so hot; it gets pretty cold when you've been lying in your hide up in the mountains for three days. In the rain. The SEALs love it; just like their aquatic counterparts would. Note that I'm kidding, they hate it too. Oh by the way, when I meant I got 'invited' to a weapons demo, I actually meant that Nick suggested it would be fun to camp up in the hill behind the missiles and try not to get caught. Which went excellently, until certain events that occurred later on which I will get to shortly...

I've got to admit, the demo was pretty damn good; defiantly enough 'bang for your buck', as the 'Mericans like to say. Special Forces can't resist explosions; it's in-grained into our DNA. Stark was in and out of there like a bolt of lightning. As we watched the convoy leave through our binos I felt that something was about to 'go down the shitter' as we Aussies say. I'm not sure how but I always get a gut feeling when something is about to go very wrong. I knew two of the Airmen in the lead Humvee. Jason and Adrian, they were really cool guys. Well until they got an IED to the face. The whole reason my unit and I were in the region was to run surveillance on a terrorist group called the 10 Rings, and then they go and attack a VIP right under our noses. We didn't find out what had happened until we got back to base and were immediately questioned by Stark's friend Colonel Rhodes. Once we cleared everything up, my team of three; plus Nick who was told to clean the mess hall as punishment, but whom I managed to convince the Higher Up's would be more useful with me, set out to track the enemy.

Three days later and Raptor Squad, plus one, were bickering about whether they should climb the ridge of an exposed mountain, or travel through a narrow gully where they could be easily ambushed.

"We should think like the enemy and head into the gully, they'd expect us to dodge them by going up the ridge", my spotter Alex said, as he stroked his chin and the red tinged beard he'd started growing.

"What if they assume that we are thinking like them?" I questioned him with a smile.

Alex, whom is already very familiar with my sarcastic antics just ignored me and set off down into the gully. I nodded, and followed Alex down.

However by the time we all got towards the bottom of the mountain, Matt decided he had some issues with this idea and asked, "What was wrong with Jade's question, it's quite valid, what if they know we will go this way?"

Alex and I both turned to look at each other for a second, then up to the mountain, and then down to Matt and both smiled and said at the same time, "Well if you want to climb back up feel free!" Nick just laughed and we all continued to push on...

I guess right about now is when I should introduce everyone properly. My name is Jade Everett and I'm a third generation SAS Sniper. It seems shooting is the family business, so as I grew up as an only child it was expected of me to uphold the family tradition, even though I was female; lucky that I loved to shoot then. I got an air-rifle for my tenth birthday, and every time I won a national competition my parents would treat me to a gun upgrade, so eventually I managed to amass quite a collection. I joined the Australian Army and became a Rifleman in the Infantry Corps once I finished high school at 17 years of age. After a year I trained to become an Infantry Sniper; so I was well on my way to SAS Sniper. When I was 22 years old, my CO recommended me for a spot in the SAS selection course. After twenty-one days of gruelling exercise, starvation and mental exhaustion I passed, and was selected to begin my training. The end result of which would be to earn myself the coveted Sand-coloured Beret and Winged Dagger insignia of the SASR. The motto of the SAS is "Who Dares Wins", and in this respect I do very well; I'm very daring.

My daring nature is how I met my two best friends; Alexander Cross and Matthew Dell, whom both went through the SASR selection course the same time as I did. We met in the stage of the course known as 'Happy Traveller', which involves 5 days of criss-crossing the broken terrain east of Perth carrying 60kg packs. We had to travel between checkpoints, conveniently placed on the top of large hills, without speaking to anyone except for the instructors; not the kind of environment you would usually make friends. However Alex, Matt and I kept find ourselves climbing the same hills at the same times. So silently we made a game of who could get to the top first, without breaking their ankles of course. Sounds fun hey? Nearing the end of the 5 days we were somehow all tied with the same number of wins, and very near total exhaustion. As we began the climb to the final summit I decided that no matter what it took, I would win. So I ran up the hill; which is not recommended due to the ankle-breaking nature of the terrain. I won, and not just the admiration of Alex and Matt, but the instructors as well. They had noticed how we tended to stick together throughout the course, so they put us in the same group during the rest of our training (well except for when Alex and I both became Snipers and Matt didn't).

It had only been since we came to Afghanistan that Matt has joined us again; he normally gets sent out all over the world, but this mission required many squads so he was brought in as well. Matt is our explosives specialist; he was in the IED crew before he joined the SAS, but got sick of seeing civilians blow themselves up and so wanted a change. Now he gets to blow the stuff up; much more fun. Alex has the lowly job as my spotter; which means he practically does nothing since I'm an excellent judge of distances, wind shear and bullets drop. He does however provide the entertainment; being the 'funny-man' of the crew. Now to Navy SEAL Nick Jaeger, who we've only just met since we came to this Middle-Eastern shit-hole. Nick is probably the most handsome man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting; in my opinion SEALs aren't the most beautiful of creatures, get what I mean *wink wink* (I'm just full of puns aren't I?). I'm guessing Nick is an exception to the rule due to his German heritage. That's really the only reason I keep him around; good eye candy brightens any day, and he doesn't seem to mind my company either. Anyway...back to the mission now I suppose!

As it turns out, the 10 Rings had no need to set up a trap for us in the gully because they knew we wouldn't ever get close to their main camp. That's the problem with fighting an enemy on their own turf; they know every nook and cranny of their homeland. After a couple more days of crawling around in the dirt we figured we should return back to base and see if the other teams had made some progress finding Stark. As we journeyed back we heard a series of explosions, and saw a whole lot of smoke in the distance, as well as a missile-like object fly from the area. It was too far for us to investigate, and so called it into the FOB (Forward Operating Base). They sent out a couple of Helos, and once debriefed on our return we found out that they had found Stark wandering the desert. It's strange because the guys who did the debriefing weren't military as such; they were some government group called S.H.I.E.L.D. They took particular interest in the means of Stark's escape from the terrorists. It seems that they were also in the need of some 'security experts' so our CO decided to send us their way. Nick's Commander also sent him along with a couple of his fellow sea mammals. Thus the normality of an MNB to OOTO job came to a close. The reign of the super-awesome-adventure-of-a-life-time (SAALT) job had begun.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	2. Chapter 2

**SHADOW SNIPER**

**AN AVENGER'S FAN FICTION BY JETSPARK10**

**I DON'T OWN ANY OF MARVEL'S CHARACTERS, I ONLY OWN THE ONES I HAVE CREATED**

**Sorry about taking so long to update; had a bit of writers block**

**CHAPTER 2 – THE MIGRATION OF RAPTORS**

However it did take us a while to form that opinion of the job, because for the first few months all we did was baby-sit important S.H.I.E.L.D scientists as they were ferried from lab to lab. Definitely not the definition of fun. Anyway this was the last day of the monotonous phase of our employment (I've learnt some fancy words from the guys we chauffeur around, not that I had a horrible vocabulary before, it just wasn't as... 'refined' due to my military up-bringing). I might add that we didn't know that this was our last day, but I will get to that. Nick and I were having our break from sentry duty in the cafeteria of a small S.H.I.E.L.D building in some small Mid-West American town. Small by American standards; enormous by Australian standards. How do you call thirty thousand people small? There's a town in Australia with a population of three. No kidding it's a properly recognised town. Can't for the life of me remember the name but it's there, and by there I mean in the middle of nowhere.

We were eating sandwiches and drinking soda; we call it 'soft drink' in Australia, and that's a pretty stupid name; soda makes much more sense because it's essentially flavoured soda water. Nick and I were discussing the frustrating nature of the fact we knew nothing of what was going on due to our pitiful level two statuses. As I was eating I heard a couple of agents whispering about something to do with their latest mission. I looked at Nick and said to him "I want to know what they're whispering about... I'm going in; make a distraction and then another in five minutes."

"Sure thing", he smiled back as he headed over to the other side of the room and 'accidentally' shoved into a Lab Technician, proceeding to yell at him; giving me my chance to silently walk towards the agents and slip under their table without them, and everyone else around them noticing. It was almost like the tables were designed for people to hide under them as there were bars I could support myself on, and the tables had enough fabric overhanging the sides to hide me from anyone walking past. I settled into my rather uncomfortable, suspended position and waited for the agents to settle back into their previous conversation.

"As I was saying before that knuckle-headed security guard interrupted; we tracked the Ten Rings guys to the port of Aden, and Fury sent in a team of Navy SEAL's to board their ship," the agent said, "Then out of nowhere Iron Man suddenly swoops in and wipes out the whole lot of them, saved the outnumbered SEAL's too!"

"I bet those SEAL's weren't happy about having to be 'saved' by Iron Man," the second agent replied.

That was all I ended up hearing of that conversation as I was interrupted by another agent who peered under the table and spotted me. He already knew I was under there because unbeknownst to me he had somehow seen me slip under the table. This agent I knew; hell every S.H.I.E.L.D member knew who he was, even us hired security. Agent Clint Barton; also known as Hawkeye.

"Nice nest you've made yourself there I see, care to come out and come with me?" he asked in an unexpectedly friendly tone.

So out I went, to the astonishment of the agents I was listening in on. I spot Nick trying very hard not to laugh; his face going very red. Then as Agent Barton turned and said to Nick, "You come too," his face suddenly lost all of it's colour. We followed Barton to a conference room where he proceeded to sit on the table and say to us, "Listening in on information above your security level are we?"

"Yes sir," we both replied instantly while standing at attention which surprised him.

"Your not even going to defend yourselves?"

"No sir, there's no denying the truth when you obviously saw what we were doing," I said to him crossing my hands behind my back.

"Then why did you break protocol?" he asked.

"As members of Special Forces sir, we are by nature always trying to learn about our enemy and how to best him...or her," Nick explains giving me a slight wink.

"How are we suppose to know how to do so if we are not able to obtain such information as I was trying to acquire?" I elaborate.

We use this technique if we get into trouble for doing things we're not suppose to do; first we own up to our error, and then confuse the interrogator by asking them questions, essentially bullshitting them. However I suspected that this method wouldn't work so well with such an experienced agent; we were probably about to get into a lot of trouble. For the first time in a long time I was wrong; he just stood up, smiled and then gestured to the two pieces of paper that he was previously sitting in front of. Nick; always the action man, stepped forward and gave the papers a cursory look, his eyebrows rising, and then returned to stand by my side. When I didn't make a move to look at them Barton frowned and asked "Not having a look miss Everett?"

"I can read it perfectly fine from here sir," I replied.

"Even the fine print?" he asked suddenly curious.

"Yes sir, the fine print lists the terms and conditions of a contract to train to become an agent at the Academy of Operations."

"Well you have exceptional eyesight if you can read that from there, or did you sneak in earlier and read it?"

"No sir," I stated with a hint of anger in my tone.

Nick interjected saying, "We call her 'Owl' for a reason Agent Barton."

Barton nodded at Nick, turning his gaze back to me and asked, "Why isn't that information on your file Everett, you should have been given a medical when you came in?"

"They didn't ask sir."

Barton smiled slightly and then asked the both of us, "Well then, what's your answer?"

Nick and I considered it for a second, looked at each other and both said, "It would be an honour sir."

That's where things begun to get really interesting

Of course it turned out that S.H.I.E.L.D had been watching our group of four for a while; waiting for us to stop being the normal, obedient soldiers we had pretended to be while there. We of course were more than happy to get out of the boring and lowly task of security work. Matt and Alex where hardly surprised when we told them how our promotion came about, and looked forward to training, saying that it would be a 'breeze' after our SAS training. I decided not to argue the point that nothing to do with this organisation was that easy; didn't want to ruin the lovely ride we were having on a S.H.I.E.L.D Quinjet. Instead I closed my eyes and listened to the wind racing around the sleek silhouette of the jet while the others boasted about who would beat whom in different scenarios. I could sense someone watching me and I knew it was Barton; he had 'business to attend to' at the Academy and so had come along. I winced as I heard the thump of a bird as it hit the left wing of the jet; probably a starling gathering by the sound. Nick must have seen me shift slightly and thought it would be a good time to bring me into their discussion.

"Jade you don't think that scrawny stick-man Alex here would beat Matt in a wrestling match do you?"

I sighed, opened my eyes and looked at the three of them saying in a serious tone, "He could probably have Matt reeling on the floor with laughter in twenty seconds top."

I heard Barton snort trying not to laugh, while I studied Alex's surprised face.

"Really?" Alex asked. I just sighed again and closed my eyes, putting an end to their conversation. I have different ways of 'disciplining' my team; now was not the time for childish conversation, and frankly I was a bit worried that the other trainees, as well as Barton, wouldn't take us seriously enough. Respect is very important to the SASR.

"Interesting bunch," I heard Barton say under his breath.

Finally, after what seemed like three hours but was actually one, we landed and disembarked from the Quinjet. Agent Barton instructed us on where to go and also informed us that he would be keeping an eye on our training, which surprised me. Why would a high level operative concern himself with the training of three Australian SAS and a SEAL? The question was still racing around in my mind when I noticed that Barton was specifically instructing me to make sure we didn't try to obtain information above our clearance again; his grey-blue eyes sparkling with amusement. I nodded and then he left us to find our accommodation. We each found we had a room to ourselves, which was a nice change from the usual bunks in a tent we were used to. I noticed as we walked around the campus that day, as well as in the cafeteria during meals, that most of the trainee agents look nervous. I know for sure that the guys didn't notice; they were too busy gawking at everything or stuffing their faces with the good food to notice. We all learnt the next day why; everyone was to be assessed and split into groups based on their skill level. It seemed that it was unfavourable to be in a 'lesser' group as most in that group ended up being cut from the program. As it wasn't much too different to the Special Forces selections we weren't overly concerned. Well Alex wasn't until he was put into the ring with a guy who was as tall as his 6ft5" but much bigger than him. It didn't seem there was much logic to the pairing selections but I figure they used this method to teach them that you're very rarely going to be in a fair fight. Alex although lean, was very quick and soon had the big guy down using the pressure points method we had been taught during our SAS training. Matt, although quite short compared to most SAS soldiers at 5ft7", used his sizeable strength to easily win his match. I guess we had a bit of an unfair advantage at this kind of thing having being out on 'missions' already.

After a half a dozen of pairings were called out I heard a familiar voice call out, "Jade Everett versus Nick Jaeger." Barton was leaning against the back wall of the gym, a smug look on his face as I suddenly felt anxious. Our instructor repeated Barton's request and Nick and I entered the ring. I'd never fought Nick before nor did I particularly want to; and it wasn't because he larger and stronger than me. We both circled each other in the ring for a few seconds before our match started; sizing each other up when Nick asked nervously, "I don't suppose you could take it easy on me?"

"Maybe," I said cheekily.

As soon as the instructor chimed the bell to begin I feinted a kick to his left while coming in with a punch to his right side. Nick however countered by rolling to the side and going for a sweeping kick to knock me off my feet; which I back flipped over. I then had to roll as he kicked towards my legs again. He knew that he had to unbalance me to win; I was too quick and going for my legs was the best method. So I decided to stay down in a squatting position so he couldn't knock me over with my lower centre of gravity; this surprised him as well as our audience. Rolling away every time he got close to landing an attack on me, I decided that I'd let him demonstrate his skill enough and so during the next roll I threw my legs up above my head; my hands supporting my weight, and wrapped my legs around his torso and arms, twisting and then forcing him to the ground with a good deal of force. He gave a small grunt of surprise as he landed on his back with me sitting on top of him. He couldn't struggle his way out and so the instructor rung the bell to end the match. I smiled at him, unwrapping my legs after probably an embarrassing second too long and then helped him up.

"Uh, that was taking it easy on me?" he asked his face bright red, not necessarily from exertion. Never one for many words I just shrugged and looked away to lessen the blush I could feel forming in my face.

"That's enough matches for this morning, we'll resume after lunch," the instructor said after glancing down at his watch. As we headed out Agent Barton gestured for me to come and talk to him. I told the guys I'd catch up; not that they would wait around for me with the prospect of imminent food. I saw Nick look back, a look on his face that I wasn't sure about it's meaning. Once again brought out of my thoughts by Barton as he said, studying my face for my reaction, "You shouldn't take it easy on him just because he's your friend."

"If I did that it'll look like he's weak when in reality he's better than most of them," I replied earnestly gesturing to the departing trainees. I then added with confidence, "I can assure you that once we're placed into our groups I won't be so easy on them."

"Make sure you do," he said with a small smile, ending the conversation as he walked off saying, "I look forward to our own match at the end of your training."

I opened my mouth to ask him why, but I figured I'd learn about it soon enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**SHADOW SNIPER**

**AN AVENGER'S FAN FICTION BY JETSPARK10**

**I DON'T OWN ANY OF MARVEL'S CHARACTERS, I ONLY OWN THE ONES I HAVE CREATED**

**A huge thank you to Aranel Silvertongue for my first review and SkyBlu7 for my second! It has motivated me hugely :-)**

**CHAPTER 3 – GOLDEN LESSONS**

I was thirteen when my parents decided to finally have a discussion with me about my extremely good eyesight. My dad had always said that good eyes ran in the family (probably why so many of my family ended up as snipers), but he also said that my eyes were different.

"Oh really?" I had said in a heavily sarcastic tone. The difference was very obvious due to the fact that my iris colour was not hazel like my parents, but rather gold. Also by the fact that I had to wear contact lenses any time my unusual eyes could be seen by others. Thankfully I was home schooled on a remote farm so I didn't have to wear them often.

"Well so you are also aware then that I'm not your real dad then?" he had replied in a curt tone.

I was stunned, not knowing what to say when my mother said in a softer tone, "At least I'm your real mother darling." They then went into depth about my 'origins story' as I like to call it. My dad had met my mum when she was three months pregnant. Mum said that the man that had gotten her 'up the duff' had some sort of ethereal beauty about him and spoke in a very 'gentleman like' manner; much the contrast to the dusty, dirty SAS Sniper she fell in love with later on. They didn't know too much more about my biological father other than the fact that he didn't have my golden eyes and wore far too much leather even for the 80's. As proficient multi-taskers they also used the talk to reinforce that you shouldn't have unprotected sex, especially on New Year eves such as my mum had done in 1990 when she was very intoxicated. The main lesson I learnt that day was you never know what life will throw at you.

I had caught the blue paint ball just before it hit me square in the face. Not with my hands or with my clear plastic riot shield; but with my mind. This thought raced through my mind as I remembered the strange dream that I had the previous night. Not because of the fact that I dreamt of possessing some sort telekinesis; but rather because we had only just found out that the day's training would consist of off-site paint ball as a sort of reward for our hard work over the last few months. I was also confused by the fact that someone had somehow managed to nearly hit me. _Was it some sort of premonition?_ These questions had to wait as I mentally prepared myself for the blood bath of paint that was about to occur. We were placed randomly into teams of three and sent out into a maze of tyres and paint-streaked plywood walls. The objective was to eliminate the enemy by any means necessary; even head shots which are usually frowned upon in paint ball. An unseen enemy up in a tree, most likely an instructor, shot at anyone who strayed from cover and so we had to roll between obstacles before taking our shots. With my superior senses and shooting skills I took out the opposition while my team mates covered my back, however they were eventually taken out due to the fact that they were really just human paint shields. I swung my riot shield over my shoulder and strapped it to my back as I crawled through some truck tyres. As I came out and stood up I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu. On the very edge of my peripheral I could see a blue paint ball flying towards my face and I turned to face it, expecting to stop it as I had in my dream. Instead I pretty much leant into the shot and a splattering of paint covered the left side of my face. I was instantly angry with myself as I realised that I could have easily have dodged the shot if I had used my reflexes instead of believing in a dream. With the right side of my goggles unobstructed by paint I could see who my shooter was; Barton. I growled under my breath as I saw him wheezing with laughter up in the tree and I proceeded to stalk off to wash the paint from my face.

Later that day I was absently playing with the food on my plate with my fork, mulling over the day's turn of events. _Obviously I don't have telekinesis but the premonition was pretty close; the whole paint ball event and the blue paint ball_, I thought. I realised that the dream was a version of the future and that by having it in the first place I automatically discounted it by knowing what would happen. _Perhaps I would have gotten the telekinesis if I hadn't expected it, maybe it was suppose to be an instinctual response?_

"You gonna eat this?" Barton queried as he swooped in and snatched the apple off of my tray. Startled I tried not to jump out of my seat; he certainly had a way of sneaking up on me like nobody else could.

"Nope not hungry," I replied in a bored tone, trying not to show my surprise.

He just chuckled lightly, "I see you're a bit down after this morning, don't worry about it, not many people can dodge my shots and you'd already evaded three before I hit you."

Sighing slightly I turned and looked at him and simply spoke the truth; "I was distracted."

I'm not really the vain type but it took me a lot to say that even though it was more of an excuse than an admission. I was just used to always winning; another lesson learnt.

Clint raised an eyebrow in surprise at me, "And here I thought you were as disciplined and unwavering as a rock."

"Even a rock can be cracked under the right pressure Barton," I bit back with a small smile on my lips.

"Too much pressure?" he questioned, "I thought you SAS were as immune to pressure as diamonds?"

"True diamonds are hard but a little tap in the right spot and they fracture," my smile broadened, "A much better comparison really is elastic; it can be stretched really far and then will bounce back with a vengeance."

"Sure thing Everett," Barton snorted before he left with my apple, "Make sure you get rid of whatever is distracting you, finals are tomorrow.

I nervously swallowed before nodding to him, I had almost forgotten about the next day's fights. Raptor squad; including Nick our honorary member, had advanced through the training rapidly and we were now finishing with trainees who had been there for a year an a half. I had a sinking feeling that tomorrow was going to be the fight with Clint that I was promised.

_Once again I'm right_, I mused as Agent Barton called me forward, pointing at me with one of the staffs we were using.

"Now I've been looking forward to this fight, so don't take it easy on me," he said so softly only I was able to hear him. Nodding I griped my staff, giving it a small twirl as I moved my stance so I was more balanced.

"Ready whenever you are Hawkie," I said before suddenly darting to his left side and jabbing my staff at his right; hitting my mark.

"Ouch," he grumbled quietly before quickly sweeping my feet from under me with his staff. I had to back flip to avoid falling over and I skilfully kicked him in the chest as I did, sending him flying backwards. I was surprised at my own strength, I always held back on my attacks and so I wasn't prepared for when I didn't. _Super eyesight, super hearing __and__ super reflexes. Super strength __as well__? _I thought as I waited for Barton to get up.

"Gosh were you holding back before or what?" he wheezed out through ragged breaths, "Feels like I was hit by a truck!"

"Any kick to the chest would do so Barton," I said trying to downplay my recently discovered strength.

"Sure thing Everett," he said sceptically. This saying of his was beginning to become common place.

"Giving up so easily?" I goaded him with a smile.

"Of course not I'm just winded," he said before trying to surprise me with a swipe to my head. I was in action mode; full focus on the task at hand, so I easily ducked underneath the staff. I followed up with the same move he tried on me; a sweep at the legs. Mine however worked and he fell backwards onto his back with a grunt. I held my staff over his throat before he could get up.

"I yield," he said meekly. Nodding I moved back my staff slightly, offering it as a way up off the floor. He accepted it, but as I pulled him up I didn't take in account my unrestricted strength and so he ended up flying over my shoulder. I winced as I saw him land on his back again.

"Sorry," I said apologetically.

"Oh sure," he said sarcastically, "No problem, I enjoy being tossed around like a fish at a market."

It was then I turned my attention to the few trainees in attendance; three of which were my astonished friends. Their expressions were varied; Alex's mouth was wide open and gaping at the spectacle he had just seen and Matt had his head titled slightly as if he was analysing the scene from a different angle. However it was Nick's slightly darkened expression that had me confused; as if he were angry.

"Uh," Barton continued, "I need a drink... or ten. You should come with me, we have a lot to discuss."

"Was that a suggestion or order sir?" I said looking back at him as he stiffly got off the floor by himself.

"I don't think I can make you do anything you don't want to do Jade," he said earnestly. I gestured for him to lead and so off we went to the bar in town. I was still not sure whether to be elated at my win or scared by my future.

It seemed that he was also worried about my future, as he was well aware of the S.H.I.E.L.D protocols regarding this matter.

"Normally you'd be put on S.H.I.E.L.D's Index first, then you'd probably have to be a lab rat for several long months as they attempt to figure out why your different," he said before downing a shot of vodka.

"Normally?" I queried, also declining the shot he offered me; it wasn't even lunch time yet.

Downing the alcohol himself he continued, "You're lucky you know me, I think I can sway Fury into letting you join me on the Elite Task-force, level seven clearance minimum."

Before replying my attention was drawn to the TV in the bar; Tony Stark was having a press conference regarding the destruction of part of Stark Industries laboratories.

"The truth is...I am Iron Man," Stark said to the reporters who erupted in a frenzy.

"Ahh I knew it!" Clint said bringing my attention back to him, "Stark isn't really that low key, some of ours were at the incident."

_So he must have been the thing that flew from the Ten Rings camp when it blew up_, I thought.

"Interesting day," I smiled, "Elite Task-force, what does that entail?"

"Well I'm not sure yet, it was an idea I was coming up with."

"So how can you sway Fury into letting me join something that doesn't exist?" I asked amused.

"Hmm... I guess you'll just have to help me come up with something," he said with a broad smile.

I thought over it for a bit before speaking, "Well those guys that were at the Stark thing, were they some special task force for that kind of thing?"

"No just regular agents, I see what you're getting at though. We need to create a task force equipped to deal with people and things that, like you, are different."

Running my hands through my hair that I was growing (I had always kept it short when in the SASR) I agreed saying, "I want the rest of my squad with me, I know that agents have to learn to operate individually but they're very 'elite' anyway, not just my friends. They'd be perfect for an 'Elite Task-force'."

"I agree," he answered be for continuing, "My condition though is that you have to be completely honest about your abilities, alright?"

I inclined my head in acceptance, "Well I guess this is as good as time any to begin."

Telling him about my mystery father and super senses I began to feel a weight lift off my shoulders. I had never told anyone, even my closest friends or parents about all of my abilities. I didn't want to be judged based on what I was born as; but rather what I could do without my differences. The real clincher for Barton though was when I removed my contacts so that he could see my real eye colour.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, "They're really intense and different... and beautiful. Just like you."

I simply nodded as I felt my whole face go tomato red and I turned to take a shot of vodka myself. After the day I just had I needed it.


	4. Chapter 4

**SHADOW SNIPER**

**AN AVENGER'S FAN FICTION BY JETSPARK10**

**I DON'T OWN ANY OF MARVEL'S CHARACTERS, I ONLY OWN THE ONES I HAVE CREATED**

**This chapter is dedicated to Alana (you know who you are), you are truly the most amazing best friend anyone could wish for; thank you.**

**CHAPTER 4 – MISTAKES**

New Mexico; the land of enchantment. Number plates had always intrigued me, my favourite was that of Victoria, one of the seven Australian states. Victoria; the place to be. It certainly wasn't the place to be during bushfire season; where thousands of hectares and homes would light up, similar to the Californian forest fires. It would also seem that they dislike their winters, as every year thousands of Victorians flock north into my home state Queensland for the holidays. Queensland; the sunshine state. New Mexico reminded me of my home in some ways; for instance the sweltering heat during the day, however the freezing cold nights were foreign to me. As I huddled into my jacket against the cold breeze I was reminded of how much I missed home. _After this assignment I w__ill __take time off and see my parents_, I promised myself. Surely after the last year I deserved it, being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D was surprisingly hard work. The team and I had criss-crossed the world with Agent Barton; finding more and more people to put on the index, and sometimes to cross them off it and the planet. _Ahh the team_, I was bitterly reminded. Said team was back down to the original three after Nick had decided not to join us. I had seen him change a lot in the time we spent at the Operations Academy; he had found new friends in some of the trainees that I was never too fond of, a darkness in their hearts that I disdained. He was offered a spot at the Triskelion in D.C and took it. We hadn't really left on good terms; I had tried to convince him to come with us. I get a bit rowdy when I don't get my way, and so all I succeeded in doing was pushing him further away. _I see so far sometimes that I forget to look at what's happening right in front of me._

Alex and I were lying in a dip of a hill, surrounded by boulders which took away most of the bite of the wind. We were running surveillance of the area around the compound; quite badly though as we were both playing a game of 'go fish' with the cards I had pilfered off Coulson. Captain America trading cards to be exact; his most prized possessions. I made sure to take every care possible with the cards as for one I didn't want to ruin them, and two I didn't want Phil to know I'd taken them. Borrowing stuff from fellow S.H.I.E.L.D personnel was my favourite past-time, the challenging part however was to not get caught. Unfortunately for us the game was hard to play with just one set of cards so I had scanned in and printed a copy of each card. Alex had suggested that we should make two copies and then return the cards, I had promptly told him that he was no longer any fun and to stop being a 'worry wart'. So ever the thrill seeker I had brought them with us for our eight hour shift; even though the threat of rain loomed above our heads. Midway through our fifteenth game I heard chain link fence being torn in the distance, instantly turning my head to the source of the sound several miles away. Seeing a large, long-haired blonde man crawl through a gap in the fence I grabbed my radio to call it in. All I got was static as the storm above interfered with the radio waves.

"Damn," I mumbled as I quickly packed up the cards into a water proof container and started up the hill to get a better signal. I had no more luck up at the summit than I did further down and so I decided to watch the show that was happening down the valley. It seemed that my warning call wasn't required anyway as I saw the alarm lights and heard the siren go off. Some popcorn would've been great as I watched the big guy tear his way through the security in place around the 084; a hammer stuck in a rock. Things got really interesting when I saw Barton leave his surveillance van, compound bow in hand, and head up above the site in a lift. Gathering by the fact that he didn't shoot the man I knew that Coulson was sure that the situation would be handled without lethal force.

We quickly headed back down to the compound in the rain; getting the sticky desert mud all over our boots. We then proceeded to trudge said mud into the operations building as we were taken to a room and quickly de-briefed/updated by Clint. He was unsurprised by the fact we were unable to radio in from where we were, the interference from the 084 apparently disrupting a lot of the communications at the time. The blonde man had apparently been easy to apprehend once he had lost his enthusiasm for the hammer. Looking at the wall which divided the rooms between us and the intruder; I focused my eyes to look through the tiny spaces in-between the atoms making up the wall. I had recently learnt that ninety-nine percent of everything was made up by nothing; just space, so I had essentially learnt to see through things. The only problem is that sound cannot pass through space; it needs to be transferred through substances such as air, and so I was unable to hear the conversation that transpired between Agent Coulson and the man. Not that it seemed much of a conversation since only Coulson's mouth was moving. _Really need to learn to lip read Jade_, I thought to myself. Phil reacted to something in his pocket; his pager I realised as he pulled it out, the message reading 'Fury requesting update'. After promptly leaving the interrogation room I saw someone else appear as he closed the door. I almost jumped out of my skin from the surprise of the stranger's sudden appearance.

"Are you alright Jade," Barton asked softly, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I just remembered I need to check on something right away," I lied before leaving the room and quickly walking over to the one-way viewing window of the interrogation room. There were two agents watching the blonde man and they didn't seemed concerned that there was a black-haired man in the room who clearly was not authorised to be in there. I was about to voice my opinion when I noticed that the feed from the cameras in the room showed no second man in there. Looking back and forth between the screens and window I realised that no one else could see him but me.

"What is it Jade?" Clint asked seriously, having caught up with me after I stormed out of the room.

Inwardly I debated whether or not to tell him what I was seeing, however my decision was made up as soon as the ebony-haired man left the room as Phil re-entered it. I didn't have the time to explain it to him right then and so I told him, "I will explain it later Clint, just trust me," before I took off after the newcomer. I heard him give an exasperated sigh behind me but then I focused all of my senses on the person I was now following. He walked through the building in a very self-assured way, _I guess he thinks no one can see him_, I told myself. I saw his muscles contract as he begun to swing his head around, so I feigned disinterest; pretending to be simply walking towards a pre-determined destination. He frowned slightly in thought but continued on his way; which happened to lead us both straight to the 084. I couldn't follow him down into the 'pit' in which the lodged hammer was being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D scientists as I wasn't authorised, so instead I stayed up on the ground level and pretended to keep guard. With my excellent peripheral vision I watched as he attempted to extract the hammer from the rock; this however was met with the same failure everyone else had shared when trying it. As he turned around to walk away our eyes briefly met; sending chills down my spine as I looked deep into his green eyes. At first I saw sadness in them; not from his inability to lift the 084, but rather from the conversation with the blonde man. Then I saw suspicion in his eyes and I realised my gaze had lingered too long on him. So I did what I usually do in these awkward situations; walk away quickly while trying to keep the inevitable tomato-red blush from creeping onto my face.

"Agent Everett why are you on this level?" I heard the annoying voice of Agent Sitwell say, "It's not time for your scheduled watch for another fourteen and a half hours"

Never before had I been so happy to hear that voice, "You know me Sitwell, always looking out for the team, so I decided to just check that everyone was doing fine," I fibbed.

"You mean 'always looking out for things to steal' don't you Everett?"

"Borrow," I mumbled.

"Well I don't think that I'll be getting my birthday cupcake from last week back, do you?"

"No sir," I replied weakly.

Sitwell took his leave after his parting words of, "Make sure it doesn't happen again Agent."

I scowled at his back before noticing from the corner of my left eye that the stranger was still watching me, a small smirk on his face as he watched me being reprimanded. Deciding that I'd had enough weirdness for the day I strode off towards the residential area; a small city of caravans, however as soon as I left I could feel the black-haired man follow me. _Damn_, I thought, _I shouldn't have attracted so much attention to myself, I'm going to have to lose him somehow_. Ever the saviour Barton came swooping in out of nowhere as usual and asked me to talk while he ate dinner.

"What, aren't I allowed to eat dinner as well?" I queried.

"Nope, not after that stunt you pulled before Jade, running off like a dog chasing a squirrel."

"I told you I'd explain later," I continued, "However first I need some food, it's been a long night."

I was relieved to notice the stranger lose interest and walk off, heading out into the desert. In the end I decided not to tell Clint about the man; he was a close friend but I wasn't even sure myself if I'd believed what I'd seen. _He must have had some sort of cloaking device __that I could see through_, I reasoned inwardly. So instead, as Clint woofed down some pasta, I told him a version of the truth; "I thought I heard the detainee say to someone that their friend would be picking up the 084, so I rushed out to the site to check, but it was nothing."

"How did you hear him talking," Barton questioned with a mouth full of food, "I thought you couldn't hear things in a soundproof room?"

"I'm getting better; no room is completely soundproof, and they usually don't worry about people hearing the conversations happening in the room." I realised that I was actually right about that and thought, _next time I should search for gaps in the soundproofing_.

"Well then what do you mean by 'thought I heard', you don't make mistakes like that Jade."

"The sound coming out of the room was still a bit muffled... I couldn't hear it quite right." I'd never been the best liar and Barton was very good at picking lies, so when he nodded I was surprised by the fact he either believed me, or trusted me enough to understand there was a reason I wasn't telling him the truth. As I dug into my own food we both settled into a comfortable silence as we ate our marvellous pasta.

I had risen with the sun as per usual, having no choice in the matter due to the fact I had slept outside; on the branch of a large fig tree to be exact. Out in the middle of the Australian bush there was never any lack of huge, thick branches trees to 'roost' in every night as I travelled south. After all of the drama of New Mexico I had decided that a break was in order, and I couldn't think of anything more relaxing then spending two weeks living off the land. On missions I would constantly have my extraordinary senses on overdrive to pick up any information necessary to the team's survival, this however took it's toll on my sanity as I was always hearing things I didn't need to, or want to. After the 'Destroyer' had ripped it's way through the small town of Puente Antiguo we had been sent in to make sure that looters didn't take any of the alien technology. Rummaging through the remains of Jane Foster's caravan I had noticed a scorched, but otherwise intact book on Norse mythology, taking it for myself. As I sat cross-legged high up in the tree I decided to have a look at said book, flicking through the pages idly with one hand while drinking from a water bottle with my other. I noted the page with Thor on it; the blonde haired man from New Mexico, reading accounts of his many battles throughout the centuries. Then I nearly lost my balance and fell from the tree after I turned a few more pages. Clearly represented by a cartoon picture was the ebony-haired man; Loki. Skimming through the words I saw no mention of him possessing the power of invisibility, _then again this book is based on lore from thousands of years ago_, I reasoned. I was astonished further when turning a few more pages and coming across a pair of golden eyes, belonging to Heimdell the Bi-frost gatekeeper. _His senses so acute he can hear sap running through trees_, _and look across time as well as space_, I read. I snapped the book shut after I reading the line; _Has the ability to focus on certain sensory information or block it out of his consciousness as he chooses_. Heimdell's power seem eerily similar to mine and so I decided that I should try and see if I could also block out the things I didn't want to see and hear. After moving to a more level spot along the branch I once again crossed my legs, closed my eyes and then focused my mind on the sound of my breaths. It was half an hour before the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze disappeared into the sub-concious part of my brain, and another hour until the squawking of birds feeding on the fruit of the tree did the same. _It will take me a while to learn this_, I thought to myself, _but at the moment I have all the time in the world_. Climbing down from the tree I continued with my holiday activities of hunting and gathering, revelling in the knowledge that no one could interrupt the peace and tranquillity of the bush this far from any town. I would soon come to learn that by only telling one person of my approximate whereabouts I had made a very bad mistake.


End file.
